Beautify Your Yard & Boost Your Mood With Gardening

In this new age of social distancing due to the COVID-19 virus, many people find themselves feeling anxious or stressed. Did you know that gardening is an excellent and therapeutic way to reduce stress and anxiety?

Lift Your Spirits and Find Purpose

Being out in the sun can boost your mood and gardening provides a sense of purpose. From preparing the soil to planting to picking, the process of gardening gives a significant sense of accomplishment. The aesthetic value of a beautiful flower garden or neatly planted row of vegetables can lift one’s spirits as well.

Avoid Injury

Whether you want to grow a vegetable or herb garden or plant beautiful flowers to give your yard a pop of color, we have some tips to share:

Stretch before you start
To prep your body for gardening tasks, you want to loosen up to prevent joint and muscle injury. You can walk in your yard or march in place.

Let your legs do the lifting—or a wheelbarrow
When lifting heavy items such as bags of soil or mulch, make sure you keep your back straight and bend your knees. Carry the load close to your body. If you have an extra- large bag of mulch, for example, consider using a wheelbarrow to transport the mulch to areas of the yard where you will lay it down.

Take breaks
To avoid injury and pain, it’s essential to give your back a break. Aim to take a brief rest or stretch break at least three times every hour. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Protect your knees
Kneel to plant but protect your knees by using kneeling cushions or knee pads.

Alternate tasks
Changing positions frequently while you garden can also help prevent injury. Alternate various tasks to prevent over-stressing one group of muscles. For example, if you’ve been on your knees planting seeds for a half-hour, make your next gardening activity one that allows you to stand.

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